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Use this cron entry for a nightly 03:00 reboot
Ubuntu’s cron daemon checks each user’s crontab whether or not that user is logged in. Because rebooting requires root privileges, edit root’s crontab rather than the account you are currently using.
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command -v shutdown
The usual result is/usr/sbin/shutdown. Use the path returned by your server if it differs. - Open root’s crontab:
sudo crontab -e - Add this line for a daily reboot at 03:00:
0 3 * * * /usr/sbin/shutdown -r now - Save the file and exit the editor.
- Confirm that the entry was installed:
sudo crontab -l
The five schedule fields mean, in order, minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. Therefore, 0 3 * * * means minute 0 of hour 3, every day of the month, every month, and every day of the week.
Check the timezone before choosing 03:00
Cron evaluates the schedule using the host’s configured timezone. It does not convert 03:00 to your preferred business timezone automatically. A server configured for UTC will reboot at 03:00 UTC, even if your maintenance window is defined in another region.
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Confirm the machine’s timezone before saving the schedule, then document what 03:00 means for operators and users. If the host’s timezone changes later, the same cron line will run at a different local time relative to your former plan.
Choose the correct Ubuntu scheduling location
Root’s personal crontab
sudo crontab -e edits the root user’s crontab. This is the most direct choice for one reboot command owned by root. The corresponding listing command is sudo crontab -l.
System-wide cron files
Ubuntu also supports administrator-managed files such as /etc/crontab and files under /etc/cron.d. Entries in those locations include a username field, so their syntax is different from a per-user crontab. Files in /etc/cron.d also have stricter filename rules. Do not paste the five-field root-crontab line into one of those files without adding the required username field.
Do not use @reboot for a nightly reboot
Cron’s @reboot form runs a job once when the system starts. It is not a recurring pre-reboot schedule, so it cannot replace the daily time-based entry above.
Understand what the shutdown command does
Ubuntu’s shutdown utility can halt, power off, or reboot the machine. The -r option requests a reboot, and now requests it immediately. In the cron example, the command therefore starts a reboot as soon as cron launches it at the scheduled time.
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A reboot terminates active sessions and interrupts running workloads. It can disconnect administrators, stop interactive jobs, interrupt transfers, and briefly take hosted services offline. Treat the cron line as an operational change, not as a harmless housekeeping task.
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Give users a warning period
If the cron job should announce a five-minute warning instead of rebooting immediately, use a timed shutdown command such as:
shutdown -r +5 'Scheduled maintenance reboot'The +5 value schedules the shutdown five minutes from the time the command runs, while the quoted text is the warning message. Confirm the exact behavior and cancellation procedure on the Ubuntu release installed on the host before deploying this form. Ubuntu’s shutdown documentation states that a timed shutdown creates /run/nologin five minutes before the system goes down, preventing new logins during that final period.
Prepare the maintenance window
Schedule the reboot only when its impact is acceptable. Before enabling it on a production host:
- Notify users and anyone responsible for dependent applications.
- Choose a window in the server’s actual configured timezone.
- Drain or stop workloads where appropriate instead of allowing them to be terminated abruptly.
- Check that critical services are configured to start automatically after boot.
- Confirm that you have an out-of-band or alternate access method in case the host does not return.
- Test the exact command manually during an approved maintenance window.
Testing the same absolute command used by cron catches permission, path, and service-management problems before the first unattended reboot. Run it only when an immediate restart is authorized; shutdown -r now does not wait for an application to finish its work.
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Make the job diagnosable
Use absolute command paths
Cron runs with a limited environment and may not have the same PATH as your interactive shell. The absolute /usr/sbin/shutdown path avoids a common “command not found” failure. Apply the same rule to any wrapper script or helper command that you add.
Redirect output when you need a dedicated record
To keep standard output and errors in a separate log, use:
0 3 * * * /usr/sbin/shutdown -r now >>/var/log/cron-reboot.log 2>&1Ensure the destination is writable by the root cron job and that log growth is managed. A reboot command may produce little output, but the redirection preserves diagnostics if the command or its environment fails.
Inspect cron and journal records
After the first scheduled run, inspect the system journal and cron-related logs for the execution record and any error. Then check reboot history with:
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last rebootThe reboot history confirms whether the machine actually restarted around the intended time. Log timestamps must be interpreted in the server’s timezone, especially when operators are viewing them from another region.
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What happens if the server is down at 03:00?
Plain cron does not catch up a missed execution. If the server is powered off, halted, or otherwise unavailable when 03:00 arrives, the daily entry will not be replayed automatically when the machine returns. It will wait for the next matching day.
This behavior also matters after an unplanned outage: the first boot does not cause cron to run the missed reboot entry. If a missed run must be triggered after the host comes back, use a persistent systemd timer instead of relying on a normal cron schedule.
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Both mechanisms can initiate the same reboot command, but they suit different operational requirements.
| Concern | Regular cron | Persistent systemd timer |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring time-based command | Five-field crontab expression, such as 0 3 * * * |
OnCalendar= expression in a timer unit |
| Missed execution after downtime | Not replayed | Can be configured to trigger after the machine returns |
| Dependencies and ordering | Basic command scheduling | Explicit service and timer units provide dependency and ordering controls |
| Logging and inspection | Cron logs, optional output redirection, and reboot history | Journal integration and inspection with systemctl list-timers |
| Administration model | Per-user crontabs plus system locations such as /etc/crontab and /etc/cron.d |
Separately managed service and timer units |
Keep cron when the requirement is simply “run this root command on a recurring calendar.” Prefer a systemd-native design when persistence after downtime, explicit dependencies, journal integration, or a separately managed service unit is important.
How the systemd design is organized
A systemd implementation separates the reboot action into a service unit and the schedule into a timer unit. The service runs /usr/sbin/shutdown -r now; the timer supplies an OnCalendar= schedule. Enable the timer, then inspect its state and next activation with systemctl list-timers. Configure the timer’s persistence behavior when a missed activation should be handled after boot.
Troubleshoot a reboot that did not happen
The entry is missing
Run sudo crontab -l. If the line is absent, it may have been saved in the wrong editor buffer or added to a different user’s crontab. Reopen root’s file with sudo crontab -e.
The wrong user owns the entry
Running crontab -e without sudo edits the current user’s crontab. That entry will not provide root-level authority for a reboot. Move the schedule to root’s crontab or use a correctly formed system-wide entry that includes its username field.
The command works interactively but not in cron
Check the command path returned by command -v shutdown and use that absolute path. Review the cron log, the journal, and any redirected output for permission or environment errors.
The reboot occurred at an unexpected time
Verify the server timezone and compare it with the timestamp shown in logs and last reboot. Cron follows the host’s configured timezone, not an operator’s local timezone.
The server rebooted but services did not return
Inspect service startup configuration and the system journal after boot. A successful reboot only proves that the machine restarted; it does not prove that every application recovered or that clients could reconnect.
The first run was missed after an outage
This is normal for a plain cron schedule. It does not replay missed executions. Replace the schedule with a persistent systemd timer if catch-up behavior is a requirement.
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Operational checklist
- Confirm the shutdown path with
command -v shutdown. - Confirm the host timezone and define what 03:00 means for the maintenance window.
- Edit root’s crontab with
sudo crontab -e. - Add
0 3 * * * /usr/sbin/shutdown -r now, or use the verified path returned on your host. - Save and verify with
sudo crontab -l. - Notify users, drain workloads, and check automatic service startup.
- Test the exact command manually during an approved window.
- After the scheduled run, check
last reboot, cron or journal records, and application health. - If missed-run persistence or stronger dependency controls are required, implement a systemd service and timer instead.
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